Retaining walls are commonly used to stabilize various forms of earth, ranging from rocks to soil, and thereby prevent the earth from shifting and eroding. The steeper the slope on which the retaining wall is positioned, the more lateral force that the earth applies to the wall. Thus, in such steepened slope applications, it is necessary to provide retaining wall support structures with increased structural integrity to withstand such forces. Wire gabions have proven particularly suitable in such applications.
However, wire gabions are not without drawbacks. Being open wire baskets, these devices do not provide the best erosion protection for the retaining walls. Rather, dirt, rocks, and other earth are able to escape through the gabion's openings and thereby threaten the stability of a steepened slope. Moreover, surface water runoff can carry away the very earth that is being retained and result in formation of rills and gullies.
Furthermore, the wire gabions are easily visible when incorporated into a retaining wall and are not aesthetically pleasing. Thus, various attempts have been made to disguise the gabions. For example, hydroseeding has been used to promote the growth of vegetation on the retaining wall. However, if the retaining wall is especially steep and/or built to have a vertical face, it may be very difficult for vegetation to grow of the vertical face of such wall. Moreover, hydroseeding, while cheaper than sod installation, is not without cost.
While hydroseeding does address the appearance drawback of gabions, it does not significantly combat erosion. Rather, other reinforcement devices must be used in conjunction with the gabions. The devices, such as silt fences, while preventing erosion may also prevent water from escaping the installation. Such trapped water can add additional forces to the retaining wall, putting unwanted stress on the retaining structures, which could lead to the wall failure. In addition, many silt fences are composed of a plastic liner, similar to garbage bags, and are not considered visually pleasing. As such, the aesthetic problem has not been addressed.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a reinforcing structure that may be used in conjunction with wire gabions or other primary reinforcement devices that disguises the existence of such devices while helping to prevent erosion of earth from the retaining wall.